About
Smith Mountain Dam is a concrete arch dam located on the Roanoke River in Virginia, creating Smith Mountain Lake. The dam was built by Appalachian Power between 1960 and 1963 for the purposes of pumped-storage hydroelectricity. The dam created Smith Mountain Lake as its reservoir, where recreation and real estate have become popular.
Read more on WikipediaLocated in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, the Smith Mountain hydroelectric plant has a total capacity of 547.5 MW across 5 generators. The plant began operating in 1965 and is owned by American Electric Power Company, with Appalachian Power Co. as the listed operator per EIA data. The primary fuel source is water (WAT), and the plant utilizes both conventional hydroelectric and pumped storage technologies, classifying it as a hybrid facility. Smith Mountain operates within the PJM Interconnection, LLC balancing authority and the RFC NERC region.
Smith Mountain is the second-largest of three hydroelectric plants in Virginia, and ranks 45th out of 194 nationally. Financial data indicates an installed cost of $217.89 per kW, based on FERC filings. News coverage of the plant includes 5 articles related to hazards and 4 related to industry topics.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources